Retort oven



J. MAGE Aug. 7, 1934.

RETORT OVEN Fil ed Jan. 17, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l ose M2 6 flaw/26% Aug. 7, 1934.

J. MAGE RETORT OVEN Filed Jan. 17, 1951 13 Sheets-Sheet 2 All? J. MAGE RETORT OVEN Aug. 7, 1934.

Filed Jan. 1'7, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l suitable space, provided below the oven.

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Patented Aug. 7, 1934 RETORT OVEN Joseph Mage, Brussels, Belgium, assignor to IntertrustCompagnie Generale de Distillation et Cokefaction a Basse Temperature at Miniere, Societe Anonyme, Glaris, Switzerland, a company of Switzerland Application January 1'7 1931, Serial No. 509,311

In Belgium January 24, 1930 6 Claims.

This invention concerns retort ovens for the 'low' temperature carbonizationof coal, lignite and the like. It'is well known that in ovens of thiskind and especially in those intended for low 5. temperature carbonization, retortsmay beprovided with aremovable bottom and in some cases with, a central tube for taking off volatile matter and constituting a removable member with said bottom, toallow-of unloading the charge into a This invention aims at simplifying and accelerating the discharge process which, even in'the case of movable bottom retorts, usually necessitatesthe use of complicated devices, the operation of which 15. calls for considerable labour and takes up much According tothis invention, unloading is effected after release of the movable retort memher, by imparting to the carbonized charge two successiveshocksorlblows, the first of which detaches the charge from the retort walls and makes it fall together with the movable retort bottom, whilst the second shock is caused by sudden stopin the movement of said'movable bottom. It has been found'that, under such circumstances, the first shook causes the charge to fall in a single block, whilst the effect of the second shock is to break it up, its fragments then dropping freely so that they can'be collected in a .triick.v or like suitable container. instead of two shocks only, a plurality of shocks or blows may be applied. In practicehowever two shocks are usually sufficient, the first shock preferably being imparted in' a downward direction by the fall of a mass uponthe retort, whilstthe second shock is imparted in an upward direction by the impact of the bottom against-a stop. It then is only necessary to raise said stop to restore the movable member ofthe retort to its original-posi- 40 tion, such raising motion being conveniently used to lift back to its original position the masspreviously used for imparting the first shock.

An arrangement specially suited tothe application of this means of discharge to multiple re tort ovens is to suspendthe movable bottom closure member of each retort" core from a weighted rod passing loosely through said bottomand normally held up by a withdrawable support, said rodbeing fitted with a shoulder to strike the retort core when the rod is released by its support. When the retort core comprises a central tube, said rod preferably extends freely through said tube and ends in a solid head gripped between jaws, above the retort. Upon said jaws being opened, the rod falls and the head, acting as a ram, impinges against the tube which transmits the shock to the charge and to the movable bottom closure member of the retort core. In multiple retort ovens all of said jaws may beopened by a common controlling device, tQLbring about the simultaneous fall of all charges and the separation, fall and breaking-up of all retort charges of the same chamber.

The stops for interrupting the fall of the mov-j able retort parts may consist of girders bearing uponbed plates by means of strong supports, upon which a lifting mechanism may act in order to restore the movable members to their position in the retorts. ,j

Said girders, supports and lifting devices may conveniently be mounted in the truck used to collect the retort charge, the supports being raised from the ground when the truck isiunder way and being lowered upon the bedplates when positioned-under the oven, so that the undercarriage of the truck is safeguarded against the shocks,

With these devices, the discharging operation can be. effected in a fewminute's. It'is re'duced to the release of the weights which bring about the fall of the charges, followed bythe raising of the girders to re position'thejmembers.

Cooling of the oven during discharge'is considerably reduced, since the retorts ,may be rechargedand heatingresurned as soon as the movable parts of the samehave, again been raised;

. The accompanying drawings illustrateby. way of example an embodiment of the invention as applied to a retort furnace for the low temperature carbonization of coal and lignite.

7 Fig.1 is an end elevation, partly in section, of one oven chamber, showingthe discharge means and a truck according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side. elevation of said chamber, with some details in sectional view.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a truck, partlyin section.

Fig. 4 is a detail view, showinglan. elevation of the holding mechanism for the movable retort parts.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of said mechanismand Fig. 6 is a fragmental plan view, showing said mechanism in another position.

.Fig. 7 shows in axial section, upon a larger scale, the construction of the retort and ,core bottoms. I

Fig. 1 shows a battery of frustoconical retorts 1 mounted in a, chamber 2, heated by combustion gases fed throughflues 3, from combustion cham bers 4(Fig. 2) situated on either side of cham-] her 2 and fed from a gaspipe 5. The wallsfi of ton or enlargement 32.

chamber 2 rest on pillars '7, between which are arranged rails 8, for trucks 9 adapted to receive the discharged coke.

The retorts 1 are immovably mounted in chamber 2 and their walls form lower gastight joints with the hearth 10 and upper gastight joints with the ceiling 11 of the chamber. At the top, the retorts 1 open into a gas collector consisting of a fixed case 12 closed by a movable lid 13, the edge of which forms a gastight point in a slot 14, provided at the edge of the collector. In the example shown, two collectors 12 are shown into each of which open one half of the retorts of chamber 2. From each collector extends a pipe 15 to convey the distillates to the condensation and separation apparatuses, not shown. Each lid 13 is pivoted on an axis 16 and fitted with an operating arm 17, jointed to an adjustable sleeve 16 mounted on the threaded end of a rack member 19, operated by a motor 20 by means of a reducing gear21 and a toothed wheel 22. By means of a second rack 23 and an arm 24 pivotally mounted on a shaft 25, each motor 20 controls likewise the opening of a door 26 beneath the retorts. Lids 13 and doors 26, which are normally closed during the operation of the oven, may thus be opened simultaneously for discharging and loading. The arrangement illustrated is such that the weights of the lids and doors mutually balance each other during the opening and closing movements.

Within each retort 1 is a perforated, preferably conical tube or core member 2'? which rests upon the retort bottom, or more specifically the core bottom closure member 28 (Figs. 1 and 7). The charge 29 surrounds this tube 27 and rests upon a ring 30, which is set upon tube 27 and seals the retort base. The bottom members 28 form direct closures for the bottoms of the cores 2'7 while rings 30 which are supported upon the edges of bottom members 28 form the actual closure means for the spaces between the walls of the retorts land cores 27. Said rings 30 may readily form enlargements or reinforcing ends upon the walls of cores 27. The unit consisting of tube or core 27, ring 30 and bottom closure member. 28 is-independent of the retort wall and is held in place by a central rod or suspension means 31, the lower end of which carries a but- Rod 31 passes loosely through the bottom 28 and tube 27 and at the top it ends, some distance above the latter, in a solid impact head 33. 7

Each rod 31 is suspended by its head 33 between two jaws 34, 35 (Figs. 4 to 6) pivotally mounted at 36 and 3'7 on the walls of case 12. The ends of jaws 34, 35 engage in forks 38, 39 respectively secured to two rods 40, 41. Rods 40, 41 are respectively connected by bell. crank levers 42, 43 with racks 44, 45 engaged by a common pinion 46. The actuation of a driving shaft 47 therefore causes the rods 40, 41 to move axially in opposite directions and to separate the jaws 34, 35 (Fig. 6), whereby heads 33 are released. No longer being held, the rods 31 instantly fall and the shock of impact of heads 33 upon the top members 48 of tubes or core members 2'7 detaches the charges 29 from the walls of the retorts 1. The charges with the movable members 27, 28, 30, 31, 33 then bodily fall out of the retorts.

The fall may be arrested by arranging stops above the trackway for the trucks intended to receive and carry away the finished charge. To reduce the height of the free space to be provided beneath the oven, it is proposed to mount said stops upon the trucks themselves but in such manner that the undercarriages of the same shall be safeguarded from shocks. To this end the stops herein formed by girders 50 rest, indirectly through cross-girders 51, upon post 52 vertically movable in guides 53 carried by the frame 54 of the truck (Figs. 1 and 3). These posts 52 are arranged on either side of a shaft 55 in the axial plane of the truck, and they may be raised or lowered simultaneously by means of sets of levers 56, 57, 58 which are controlled two by two by crank wheels 59, whose axles 60 are driven from shaft 55 by means of gearing 61. In the example shown the shaft 55 extends through the body 62 of the truck and is actuated by a motor 63 situated in a control cabin 64, in which a motor 65 for actuating the truck is also located.

Normally the posts 52 are slightly raised from the ground in order not to impede the running of the truck. When said truck is positioned beneath the oven for the purpose of charging the retorts, the posts 52 are lowered and come to rest upon heavy bed-plates 66, embedded in the ground for this purpose. This is the position in which the posts 52 receive the shock of impact of the retort bottoms 28, when the movable retort members fall together with their charges. Whereas the coke broken up by the shock collapses into the body 62, the movable retort parts remain at rest on the girders 50. In order to re-position said parts, it is only required to raise the girders by means of shaft 55 and afterwards to bring together the jaws 34, 35 by means of shaft 4'7, when rods 31 are again held up by their heads 33. The retorts may then be charged by means of hoppers 67, carried by a travelling overhead crane 68, which runs upon a track 69 arranged above the oven. The travelling crane and the truck having been shunted out of the way, the lids l3 and doors 26 are closed by means of motors 20 and heating may begin immediately.

Discharging operations are therefore limited to the working of the lids and doors, of jaws 34, 35 and posts 52, all of which requires very little time.

Obviously, in apparatus of this character where the operative parts such as the bottom closure members 28, suspension rods 31, cores 27 and top members 48 for said cores are all exposed to a considerable degree of heat, said parts can not'have as close fitting relations as would be true in a machine which always remains approximately at room temperature, wherein bearings and parts in actual contact may be lubricated and accurately formed to fit within very close limits. Hence, although not shown in the drawings, it is quite evident that the rods 31 pass more or less loosely through the top members 48 as well as the bottom members, so that while said top members fit with sufiicient accuracy upon the cores 27 to generally center the tops of the cores within the retorts 1, yet one advantage of having said top members somewhat loosely fitting about the suspension rods is to allow at least a portion of the gases generated within perforated cores 2'7 to rise up past said rods into the gas collecting chamber 12. Some of the gases also seep upward from the hollow cores 27 out through the uppermost perfora tions therein into the upper layer of the charge even if the latter is filled all the way to the top, whence said gases pass upward about top members 48 and proceed upward through the upper openyends of the retorts 1 into chamberl'z beneath cover13. i j i Various changes may naturally be made in the construction andform "of the devices andparts illustrated, Iwithoutdeparting from the scope of the invention? I cl m:

'1. Inaretortoven for low temperature carbonization, the combination, with a vertical retort, of a vertical hollow core member within said retort horizontally spaced from the sides thereof and provided with a top member for reinforcing and centering the top of said core member and a bottom closure member for said core memher, a rod extending through said core member and projecting slidably through openings in said top member and in said bottom closure member for said core, which rod is provided at the bottom end thereof with an enlargement below said bottom closure member for said core and at the upper end thereof with a weighted head, means for suspending said rod by its head to maintain said core in said retort and said head spaced above said top member, and means for releasing said rod from its suspended position in order to allow the same to freely drop and cause said weightedhead to impart a sharp blow to said top member and jar said core member.

, bonization, the combination,

, her and a bottom 2. In a retort oven for low temperature carbonization, the combination, with a vertical retort, of a vertical hollow core member within said retort horizontally spaced from the sides thereof and provided with a top member for reinforcing and centering the top of said core member and with a bottom closure member for said core member, a vertical rod longer than said core member extending through the same and passing slidably through openings in said top memher and said bottom closure member for said core member, which rod is provided at its lower end with a supporting portion beneath said bottom closure member for said core member and upon its upper end with a head fixed thereon, means for suspending said vertical rod in order to retain said core member in said retort and said head spaced above said top member, and means for releasing said vertical rod, at will, from its suspended position in order to allow the same to drop and cause the head thereof to impart a sharp blow to said top member and jar said core member.

3. In a retort oven for low temperature carwith a vertical retort, of a vertical hollow core member within said retort horizontally spaced from the sides thereof and provided with a top member for reinforcing and centering the top of said core memclosure member for said core member, which core member is adapted to cooperate with said retort in retaining a charge of solid material in the retort, a suspension means vertically and longitudinally movable with re spect to said core member and being adapted to support said core member and said bottom closure member for the same and including an impact member in the form of a head, releasable means for supporting said suspension means in raised position to maintain said core within said retort and said head spaced above said top memher, and operable means for actuating said releasable means so as to allow said head to drop by gravity and cause the same to impart a sharp blow to said top member and thereby jar said core member and to simultaneously release said bottoniclcsure riie'mber and s'aidico f iii-ember in order to allow said core'meniber to dropand suddenlyshed a charge of material from saidretort.

4. Ina-retort oven for low temperature car'- bonization, the combination, with a vertical retort, of a vertical hollow core member within said retort horizontally spaced from the sides thereof and'providedwith top member for reinforcing and centering the top of said core member and with a bottom closure member for said core member, a vertical rod longer than said core member extending through the same and passing slidably through openings in said top member and said bottom closure member for said core member, which rod is provided at its lower end with a supporting portion beneath said bottom closure member for said core member and upon its upend with a head fixed thereon, means for suspending said vertical rod in order to retain said core member in said retort and said head spaced above said top member, comprising a pair of movable jaws which are adapted to engage said head and are each pivoted at one end so that the other end is swingable, and operable means for acting uponthe swingable ends of said jaws so as to swing said jaws apart in order to release said head and consequently also said rod from suspended position and thereby allow the same to drop freely and cause said head to impart a sharp blo v to said top member and jar said core.

5. In a retort oven for low temperature carbonization, the combination, with a vertical retort, of a verticalhollow core member within said retort horizontally spaced from the sides thereof and provided with a top member for reinforcing and centering the top of said core member, a ring upon the bottom of said core member forming a bottom closure for the space between said member and the interior walls of said retort, a bottom ciosure member for said core member supporting said ring and said core member, a suspension rod extending through said core member and projecting slidably through openings in said top member and in said bottom closure member for said core, which rod is provided at the bottom weighted head to impart a sharp blow to said top member and jar said cor-e member.

6. In a retort oven for low temperature carbonization, the combination, of a heating chamber having an open bottom, a removable closure for the bottom of said heating chamber and a vertical retort in said heating chamber, said retort being open at the top thereof to a gas collecting chamber, a vertically movable and hollow core within said retort having perforated side walls and both horizontally spaced from the sides of the retort and provided with a bottom 1 closure member as well as a top member spaced from the walls within the open top of said retort for reinforcing and centering the top of said core, a suspension rod extending through said core and projecting slidably through openings in said top member and in said bottom closure memher for said core, which rod is provided at the bottom end thereof with an enlargement below said bottom closure member for said core and at the upper end thereof with a weighted head,

charge of solid material between said core and the sides of the retort and also is adapted to serve as a gas offtake tube for discharging gases, received through the perforations therein from a charge about the same, upwardly past said top member into said gas collecting chamber.

JOSEPH MAGE. 

